More User Reviews:

If we are rating beers within their style, then, since this is one of the most highly rated Kolsch beers, wouldn't it be good for at least a 4? Nobody appreciates a beer that's only 4.8% ABV anymore. It's not "extreme" enough. Phooey. This is a beautiful beer. I'll have another please. And then maybe another after that.

Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass at the World of Beer in Pooler, GA. This beer pours a pale clear yellow color. The aroma is full of malt and hops and is very pleasing. The flavor is crisp and and has a very nice malt flavor; very refreshing. Overall, I really enjoyed this beer a really good example of a Kolsch.

Ahhh how good it is to rediscover simple, elegant styles of beer after bombarding your palate for months with over-hopped, over-malty, over-roasted bombastic beers.
Gaffel Kolsch is a delighful hot-weather beer, that, like many German beers needs to be fresh, fresh, fresh. This beer is no exception, and when it is not fresh, it goes south quickly.
The beer I had was nice and fresh, with a light golden color and a lively, spritzy carbonation that produce the slightest of heads. The nose is not huge, a kind of metallic herbalness. The taste is crisp and clean, steely with other mineral notes, like a good German riesling, that softens into Granny smith apples with a touch of lemon juice, and perhaps some herb like thyme. The finish ends as it begins, with that steely character coming back into a bone-dry palate cleansing deliciousness. Mouthfeel reveals lively carbonation, a little thin, but what would you expect for this style. Drinakability is high -- I could suck three or four of these imperial pint bottles down on one hot summer night. A classic that I would LOVE to have in its home country.

Regrettably brief notes from a half-litre can purchased at a Rewe market in Koln, Germany in March, 2016:

4.80% ABV. Brewed with hop extract.

A: ~2cm white cap. Frothy and soft-looking, with fair creaminess and average complexion.

Body is a clear pale copper - not the vibrant yellow of most Koln-brewed beers in the style. Clean, with no visible yeast particulate.

It's a decent looking Kolsch.

Sm: Muted and reticent. Faint Munich or pilsner malts (something light, anyway), and generic floral hop character. That's all I get given the faintness of the aroma.

T: Bright malts (probably Munich) and generic floral hop character. The yeast profile helps set this apart, with hints of common ale yeast-induced fruity esters, but otherwise it's on par with many mid-grade German beers. Balance is decent, but it's so simple that isn't much of a complement. Lacks the nuanced hop character of superior beers in the style, as well as the freshness of the malt backbone. I don't dislike it, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Mf: Not unrefreshing, but the sharp overcarbonation does impede drinkability substantially. Smooth, wet, light to medium-bodied, clean drinking. Not as crisp, delicate/fragile, light-bodied, or fresh as the best Kolschbiere I've had in Koln. This does a decent job complementing the flavour profile, but there isn't a perfect harmony of texture and taste per se.

O: Drinkable but underwhelming - especially for a Kolsch brewed in Koln. Not as poorly executed as Gaffel's own Richmodis, but still on the lower end in terms of the Kolschbiere I've tried in the region. Sure, it's better than many American stabs at the style, but discerning drinkers won't be dazzled.

Appearance: Poured with a half finger of head, with high body carbonation that quickly disappeared. Speaking of the body, there's quite a bit of sandy looking particulate floating in it. It's a pale yellow, as is the norm.

Smell: Not very much going on, even with warming. Smells like a weak generic Kolsch, meaning primary straw smell with a peppery undertone. Nothing bad, it's just too absentee for my liking.

Taste: Most Kolsch I've had, the peppery spice note doesn't start the beer, but it does here and then the straw malt with a hint of lemon and ending with another touch of earth and pepper. Very clean.

Mouthfeel: As I said, very clean and crisp. The aftertaste sticks mostly to the malt with only a hint of pepper. The carbonation helps out the start of the beer but doesn't quite pan out near the end.

Drinkability: It's crispness helps to make it refreshing and it's lighter body helps it on that front as well. The carbonation seems to settle down the right amount to give it more interest then a generic lager.

Final Thoughts: At first I didn't think this beer was going to fare too well, but it grew on me. Really this seems to be the measuring stick for Kolsch. Nothing bad, but nothing exceptional. If you haven't had Kolsch before, I'd recommend this one, but it's a bit lackluster for a more dedicated craft enthusiast.

Pours a nice shimmering light golden topped with a blooming,fluffy head that sticks to the glass as it settles,very fruit scented of some green apple mainly with a touch of iron very pleasant.Very delicate flavors some of that green apple along with lightly toasted grain and iron.Very food-friendly went well with some fresh bratwurst and weiss wurst with some my mother- in- laws potato pancakes,infinently drinkable.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12 oz bottle into a tall stange glass. The neck label has a brief description and there is an abv (4.8%) but no freshness date.

Appearance: The body has a bright light yellow color with great clarity. The pour produced a tall soapy white head. This fluffy light head fades quickly leaving just a thin ring of bubbles to hug the edge of the glass. Lacing is minimal and spotty.

Smell: The aroma is light overall and there is delicate bready malt with a decent amount of floral and botanical hop notes. It also has a hint of sulfur to it as well.

Taste/Palate: Its light body has a delicate bready maltiness with a slight fruity quality to it. The hops are in prefect light balance. They add a similar floral/botanical spice and bitterness as detected in the aroma. It finishes clean and crisp.

Notes: Its delicate flavor and light texture and body make it an easy hot weather drinker. It was ok in the bottle but I would bet that it is much better fresh on tap in Germany!!!